Friday, September 13, 2019

Baskets: Season 1

We are sending in the clowns this year on the show.




I watched Baskets merely on a whim and I am so so happy I did. I recently heard the show was sadly cancelled after 4 seasons which is a shame cause I really like this show! It's really damn good, plus it did wonders for my emotional state, so if a show can not only entertain but make me feel better, I mean that's just never happened to me before. People always say they have a favorite movie or show to watch when they feel less than great, but I never really experienced it until this show. Which is funny because while the show has great humor it focuses on a kinda sad life. Zach Galifianakis plays a very down on his luck guy named Chip who aspires to be a clown, he goes to clown college in France but he doesn't speak the language, he meets a beautiful woman and asks her to marry him which she agrees to...just to have a green card for the States, he gets a job as a clown but at a rodeo. It's that sort of cruel life situation and we follow Chip through ups, downs, and inside outs. Yet it makes you laugh, it made me laugh loud and hard, I get the comedy style they have, and sure it has the pratfalls and overblown reactions but much of the humor comes down to the delivery. Chip meets a young woman Martha who is his insurance worker and strangely decides to drive him around anywhere and everywhere, that alone is a funny scenario but this actress...Martha Kelly is the funniest person I've seen in awhile. Her delivery is always deadpan, she's always blunt and straight to the point, and she just cracks me up! I've met some monotone people in my life, they're not very funny. Her though, she is friggin' hilarious! And yeah, Louie Anderson is wonderful as Chip's mom and his performance feels real, in fact everyone feels real. This is a show that has that drama element down but is primarily a comedy series, but there's no over the top tongue in cheek performances even with Chip's twin brother Dale (so double shoutout for Zach's acting talents) who is all sorts of out there, even he feels real. You've met people like him, and chances are you weren't exactly a fan of them. But they treat the characters seriously and that's something to appreciate. I was surprised how moody and atmospheric the show can be at times, the music is strangely for lack of a better word gunslinger but it works and I've always been a sucker for more quiet atmospheric music, and the show looks great when it wants to be. This series director knows what to do and how to do it, able to accentuate each scene and it's emotions. I can't fully explain it but the show handles the drama and emotions whether for comedic effect or not expertly, with Chip trying to reconnect with his wife or him having to face the fact he may just have to get a regular job, and it just feels relatable. It's a persevering story to be sure, don't let dreams die, fight for the things you want, it's something everyone can grasp and fully understand. It's only 10 episodes each season running at your standard 22 minutes, but it doesn't waste a second and the finale is something I could never have guessed. I mean it's not this big oh snap what's gonna happen next finale, there's no cliffhanger or dilemma to fix next season. It just kinda ends. I was surprised when it was over but I was infinitely interested to see what would happen next. It's a very entertaining, very well made show that honestly deserves more fans. I've never met or even heard anyone that watches Baskets so for all I know it's this underground series that gathered some acclaim and it deserves more love. Definitely check it out, I loved it for it's unusual style and the story, and was gripped almost immediately by it's humor and characters and I'm game to see it until the very end. 3.5 stars, 8/10, absolutely worth seeing!

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